


do you guess i have some intricate purpose?

by serenitysea



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: F/M, duncan is basically an idiot for trying to box logan and veronica in this way, duncan violates the bro code by forcing logan to put veronica in the friend zone, lilly might be the best friend veronica could have had (back then), logan may or may not need a ride from his knight in tiny blonde armor, or so he thinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:26:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2195175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitysea/pseuds/serenitysea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's about Veronica."</p><p>"What about her?"</p><p>"I need you to take care of her."</p><p> </p><p><i>It was a promise threatened to tear apart everything they'd ever worked for and even that which they hadn't.</i> </p><p>S2 compliant, up to 2.8.</p>
            </blockquote>





	do you guess i have some intricate purpose?

**Author's Note:**

> something i had written... during season two (my god, almost 10 years ago _where does the time go_ ) and figured i'd bring it over to ao3 in light of recent movie events, etc. :)
> 
> the title comes from walt whitman's _song of myself_.

It started out innocently enough.  
  
Honestly, it did.  
  
Except for the time when his hands ended up on her waist. And that time when her arms found their way around his neck. Hell, since we're reminiscing, let's not forget the time she picked him up from that shady diner across town and kissed the hell out of him; part punishment and part relief seeping out of her skin and into his.  
  
But it hadn't always been about them.  
  
Except for when it had.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey."  
  
Logan barely looked up from the screen to acknowledge Duncan's presence. "Hey. Lilly just went to get Veronica, apparently we're going to see some girly movie tonight and --"  
  
Duncan reached over and turned the game off.  
  
"Hey! What the hell, man, I was almost done with that level!"  
  
Duncan's eyes were red-rimmed eyes and his face pale. "I need to talk to you."  
  
Logan sighed dramatically, throwing his hands in the air and falling backwards onto the bed. "So talk."  
  
"It's about Veronica."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"I need you to take care of her."  
  
Logan laughed. "Why, you plan on going somewhere or something?" When Duncan didn't respond, he nudged him in the shoulder. "Talk to me here, what's going on? Is this some kind of joke?"  
  
"I'm breaking up with her."  
  
His jaw dropped open. "Holy sh --"  
  
"It's not up for discussion, so don't try and talk me out of it. I just need you to make sure she stays out of trouble and doesn't get involved with the wrong guy, that sort of thing."  
  
His mind still trying to process that Neptune's Golden Couple were not only breaking up but with such finality, he managed a "Yeah, okay, sure," around his complete astonishment.  
  
Duncan patted him on the shoulder like he was proud of him or something and walked out of the room, leaving Logan time to try and understand what the hell had just taken place.  
  
Jarring him out of his thoughts was the shrill ringing of his phone. " 'Lo?"  
  
"Hey, lover. I've got Veronica. We'll meet you at the movies in 10 minutes, okay?"  
  
"Lilly, I don't think --"  
  
"Come _on_ , don't back out now!"  
  
"It's just that --"  
  
"Hey, get some Jujubees for me while you're in there, okay?"  
  
He heard the car door slam suddenly, and realized that Lilly was still speaking to him a low tone. "Look, I know things are going to be a bit weird for a while but if we can just keep her mind off things, she'll come out of this, I know she will."  
  
Of course. Lilly knew.  
  
"Can you tell me what the hell is going on here? Why is he breaking up with her?"  
  
"Maybe their sex life isn't as wicked hot as ours?" She purred mischievously, but it sounded like her heart wasn't entirely in it.  
  
" _Lilly_."  
  
She sighed. "Look, I can't go into it right now, okay? Veronica's going to be back any second and it's not the time to tell her."  
  
"Tell her? Wait, are you saying she doesn't _know_ yet? He hasn't --"  
  
" _Bye_ , gorgeous. We'll see you in a few."  
  
Logan looked at the phone in his hand and cursed. Call him dramatic, but he had a _really_ bad feeling about this.  
  
  
  
 _I need you to take care of her_  
  
  
  
Veronica stood next to her father at Lilly's funeral. Duncan was pretty much catatonic, as he had been since… she'd been found, or so Logan was told. They hadn’t had much of an opportunity to exchange more than the usual things one said at a funeral before Celeste Kane took her son by the arm and dragged him away. Logan looked at his mom who had managed to stay sober thus far and she squeezed his hand reassuringly, nodding in Veronica's direction.  
  
Logan walked over to her quietly, ignoring the stares from the onlookers until he stood in front of her, shielding her view of the casket as it was lowered slowly into the ground.  
  
"Come on. You don't need to see this."  
  
She looked up at him with those big blue eyes and seemingly crumpled in front of him. Keith made a move as if to catch her, but Logan slipped an arm around her waist and led her away from the area.  
  
He helped her into his car and made sure she was buckled in safely before getting in and driving them to the beach.  
  
The waves crashed tumultuously, and rain lashed at the windows loudly. It was almost enough to block out the sound of Veronica's crying.  
  
Almost.  
  
As he handed her a scratchy napkin out of the glove box, probably stashed there by Duncan or one of the Casablancas boys after one too many trips to McDonald's, and listened to her sob quietly, he wondered if this was what Duncan meant.  
  
 _'I need you to take care of her.'_  
  
Okay, DK. Sure.  
  
And for the two weeks before Keith Mars went public with his investigation, in between surfing and hanging out with the guys, that's what he did.  
  
  
  
 _I just need you to make sure she stays out of trouble_  
  
  
  
The Camelot had been a fluke.  
  
At least, that's what Logan told himself that night while running his raw hands under the faucet, trying to clean up what was left of his knuckles.  
  
He'd gone there because she was in trouble and that --  
  
A picture of the four of them -- Lilly, Duncan, Veronica and himself at some touristy restaurant and happier times grinned down at him.  
  
\--  was what he said he'd do.  
  
  
  
 _doesn't get involved with the wrong guy_  
  
  
  
He hadn't accounted for falling in love with her.  
  
It really hadn't been part of the plan at all.  
  
It had just sort of happened; somewhere between smashing the headlights of her car and watching as she saw his father beat the living crap out of Trina's boyfriend.  
  
She wasn't repulsed by him. She didn't think less of him because his father turned out to be the murder of her best friend or when he kissed her possessively in front of his ex-best friend.  
  
She was just Veronica.  
  
He loved her.  
  
And that was all there was to it.  
  
  
  
 _that sort of thing_  
  
  
  
After the breakup, it had been easier just to ignore her and to fall into the patterns of last year when he'd completely blocked out the promise he made in favor of making her life a living hell.  
  
And then his house had burned down and prestochango! He now had front row seats and an all access pass to the DuncanandVeronica show.  
  
It was enough to make him sick.  
  
Which was why, on Saturday night when he was planning, in detail, just how he was going to demolish Weevil and the rest of the PCHers for the little stunt they had pulled last night, he headed into the kitchen with his eyes carefully averted from Duncan's room.  
  
The door opened and Logan automatically looked up, catching a glimpse of the blonde sleeping inside.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Duncan nodded. "Hey." He opened the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water, pausing to raise his eyebrows and ask, "Need anything?"  
  
Logan reversed direction and headed for the bathroom. "All set, thanks."  
  
Duncan headed back to his room without another word and Logan wondered why he hadn't seen Veronica earlier in the evening when he had been watching TV. He looked towards the door to the suite and saw a black pair of shoes, not entirely unlike the ones she wore when she was in the mood to kick someone's ass.  
  
He cursed himself for being paranoid and would have completely missed the pink pocketbook on the side table if he hadn't crashed into it on his way back to his room.  
  
Veronica didn't carry little pink purses.  
  
She had a big, catchall messenger bag full of secrets and lies and probably a few changes of clothes just in case she got into a jam and had to sweet talk her way out of it again.  
  
With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he went into his room and got his phone, dialing her number without a second's hesitation.  
  
"This had better be good," she grumbled, sleep and innocence evident in her voice.  
  
And he had his answer.  
  
Without a word, he picked up his keys and pulled on a pair of pants. He drove across town to her place in silence. Her father's car wasn't outside Mars Investigations and he hated that it fell to him to be the bearer of bad news. He wasn't the easiest when it came to telling the truth, especially when it was going to hurt like this.  
  
Veronica was waiting outside in striped pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt when he arrived.  
  
They drove to the beach in silence.  
  
"In his bed?" Veronica finally asked, after they had been staring at the waves for the better part of 15 minutes.  
  
Logan nodded.  
  
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, as if trying to force the tears back in instead of letting them seep out. "I called the hospital this morning, to check on her. They said she hadn't been released yet." Logan opened his mouth to reply and she continued, "But after you called, I checked again. Apparently, her "brother" escorted her home after she'd been given a clean bill of health."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
She looked at him with weary eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder instead. "Me too."  
  
  
  
 _she'll come out of this, I know she will_  
  
  
  
He wasn't sure if he had expected her to fall straight into his arms after that, or if he was mad at himself because she hadn't and anything less would have meant that she was not the girl he'd fallen in love with after all. At any rate, he was stuck outside of town and eating a local greasy spoon, where the patrons were much too busy eating and drinking to notice that the son of a local murderer was in their midst.  
  
Or so he'd thought.  
  
When he'd paid his bill and felt disgustingly full of soggy scrambled eggs and dry toast, the only thing left to do was drive back to the Neptune Grand Hotel of Infidelity. Oh, was that a hint of bitterness creeping into his tone? He really needed to work harder at pretending indifference to his best friend's actions.  
  
It wasn't long before he'd fished out his keys and stared at his car in a sort of detached horror that he realized the only thing left to do was to call her.  
  
"I haven’t found anything else yet on the Good Doctor's alibi, but I'm still working on it --"  
  
"I need a favor."  
  
She sighed heavily and he thought he could hear the shuffling of papers and tapping of keys on a computer. "Where are you?"  
  
Logan turned to glance at the sign that flickered every couple of seconds. "Barnacle Bill's House of Eatin'."  
  
Despite the situation, Veronica laughed. "You sure do know how to pick 'em. What do you need? A mysterious phone call to the owner? The air let out of someone's tires? A warrant to search the place?"  
  
"Actually, just a ride."  
  
"What?" Annoyance colored her tone suddenly, "Are you drunk?"  
  
"Give me a little credit, here. All I wanted was something to eat without having to spend the evening… with company."  
  
"So you picked out the classiest place in Neptune to drown your sorrows in… a two-star diner?" He heard the faint chimes of a door opening and the sound of the ignition turning over and something inside of him relaxed ever so slightly. "Don't answer that."  
  
Upon closer inspection, the SUV had sustained serious damage but most prominently on the driver's side door, in the area where he would have been sitting had he been in the car. "Uh, look. Not that I'm afraid, but it might be a good idea to hurry, Veronica. Judging from the state my car is in, I'm not entirely sure that they intend to spare me any time soon."  
  
He hung up so that he wouldn't hear the frustration and worry in her reply and wondered if it would be smarter to go back inside to wait or to take his chances out here in the dark.  
  
Saving him from making that decision was the sound of his phone ringing, echoing sharply in the slowly darkening street. He looked at the screen, half expecting Veronica to be calling him back.  
  
'Duncan cell'  
  
Logan rolled his eyes and hoped that at the very least, the conversation would distract him from his current state of affairs.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey. Have you seen Veronica lately?"  
  
And thus ended his week of wondering whether or not Veronica had confronted Duncan with what she knew about his sleeping with Meg. So she was waiting. Logan wondered why but decided that it was ultimately her decision and resolved to let her settle things on her own terms.  
  
"As a matter of fact, no."  
  
"Right." Duncan sounded frustrated.  
  
Since it wasn't getting any lighter outside, Logan threw him a bone. "Why, is something wrong?"  
  
The faintest hint of hesitation could be heard in his voice. "She hasn't been around lately and for some reason, I can't get a hold of her."  
  
"When was the last time you tried her cell?"  
  
"Two minutes ago. The line was busy."  
  
He had to work hard to keep the grin from creeping into his tone. "Wow, I, uh… I don't know what to say. Maybe she's busy with work?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess. It's weird, though. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was avoiding me."  
  
"Imagine that."  
  
As usual, Duncan as too caught up in his own lies and drama to notice the sarcasm in his best friend's tone and went on, "Look, if you see her, would you tell her that I'm looking for her?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"And in case she doesn't stop by tonight, just… look after her. Make sure she's okay."  
  
And there it was.  
  
The damn promise that threatened to tear apart everything they'd ever worked for and even that which they hadn't.  
  
He saw the headlights of the Le Baron shine brightly over him a second before the blinded him momentarily and recognized what Duncan was trying to do. Keep him firmly pigeonholed as the "best friend" who would never make a move on his girl.  
  
Well, screw that.  
  
"You know what? I'm pretty sure Veronica can take care of herself."  
  
"Well, yeah, but --" He spluttered.  
  
Logan saw Veronica jump out of the car and walk over to him, her eyes wide as she took in the destructive state of his car. Her eyes met his and he read in them everything she'd worked so hard to hide since the incident at The River Styx and maybe even weeks before, up to the moments after the breakup.  
  
"I gotta go," Logan cut off Duncan's excuses, and walked toward the one girl who'd somehow managed to always come through for him, even when she hadn't wanted to.  
  
"You certainly have quite a fan club," Veronica murmured, running a hand over his car.  
  
"It continues to grow by bikers and washed up drunks every day." He twirled his phone once before shoving it in his pocket. "That was Duncan, by the way. He wants me to make sure you're okay." Logan leaned in and looked at her closely. "You _are_ okay, right?"  
  
A slow smile crept across Veronica's face as she tentatively put her hand in his and they walked over to her car. "Yeah."  
  
She let the car idle for a few minutes before turning to him to ask, "So what really happened tonight?"  
  
"From the looks of what was written on my car, someone really doesn't like me and decided to make it known."  
  
"If you had been in the car…"  
  
Logan saw where she was going with this. "But I wasn't."  
  
Veronica dropped her hands from the steering wheel into her lap helplessly. "Logan, you can't just ignore this!"  
  
"Just like you're ignoring the fact that you've broken up with Duncan the same way he broke up with you two years ago?"  
  
"Low blow," she muttered, keeping her gaze in her lap.  
  
"Hey." He reached over tentatively and gripped her hand. "Until this Felix business gets sorted out, things are going to be rough. I can't make it go away and I can't sugarcoat it for you. The girl I used to know could deal with that."  
  
Veronica glanced at him quickly and then away before he could read what she was feeling. "I'm not promising anything. This doesn't just happen overnight."  
  
"I've got nowhere to go," he reminded her, gesturing where the police tracker was still strapped around his ankle.  
  
"Will you at least _try_ to stay away from dangerous situations?"  
  
"You can’t seriously be asking me that."  
  
The look he gave her made Veronica realize just how ridiculous the statement was, especially coming from her. "Right."  
  
They sat in silence for what seemed like forever. "You're such an idiot," She finally said quietly.  
  
"Yeah. But you kinda like it that way."  
  
Veronica couldn't keep from grinning as she leaned in and kissed him.  
  
It wasn't nice and it was gentle and pretty like everything she'd been trying so hard to live the past few months. There were no illusions here, no secrets, and most of all, no barriers. It was painful and it hurt and pulled at her in the worst way.  
  
But it was _them_.  
  
And it had always been about them. Even from the beginning.  
  
* * *


End file.
